Centuries
by I'm a Nerd and Proud
Summary: AU! Voldemort has won The War. The world has gone to hell and anyone who is not a Pure Blood is sentenced to death. Teddy Lupin is on the run as a young eleven-year-old boy who is supposed to be going to Hogwarts to learn magic but is instead fighting for his life and protecting nine-year-old mother hen Victoire Weasley and six-year-old mute James Sirius Potter.


**Centuries**

 **Summary: AU! Voldemort has won The War. The world has gone to hell and anyone who is not a Pure Blood is sentenced to death. Teddy Lupin is on the run as a young eleven-year-old boy who is supposed to be going to Hogwarts to learn magic but is instead fighting for his life and protecting nine-year-old mother hen Victoire Weasley and six-year-old mute James Sirius Potter.**

 **Team: Kenmare Kestrels**

 **Position: Chaser 2**

 **Beta:**

 **Prompts: (Song) Centuries by Fall Out Boy, and (word) blush, (object) Time Turner**

 _ **~x~**_

" _Teddy…please…"_

" _Please what? What should I do? You can't die, Auntie Ginny!"_

 _Ginny Weasley was the last adult to protect them. Teddy was kneeling beside her bed trying to think of how to protect her. It was getting bad. Since the fall of Harry during_ the War _, people weren't safe. Ginny had been hit with a curse that had left her immune system down and she had fallen ill. Nobody could know how bad it was until it was too late. Harry, Ginny's ex-fiancée, had passed away shortly after James Sirius had been born._

 _Bill and Fleur Weasley had both died as well. Bill had died because Voldemort had found him and killed him on the spot. The Weasleys were all at the top of Voldemort's kill list, after Harry Potter of course. Fleur had died during child birth for Victoire, leaving Ginny and Harry to raise the baby girl._

 _Life had not been easy for anyone. The days were dark and everyone was familiar with death. There was no laughter, no happiness; there was just pain._

 _There was pain in the hidden house of the last few Weasleys. There was no one left. Teddy was watching as Ginny Weasley passed away silently. James Sirius and Victoire were in the next room, waiting for the news. Teddy touched her still warm hand without a pulse before standing. He needed to be strong for the younger ones. "Bye, Aunt Ginny_ _,_ _" Teddy said gravely,_ _holding back tears_ _. "I hope you find Uncle Harry. Give him a hug and tell my parents that I love them too. You did well."_

 _He turned on his heels and exited the room._

 _James Sirius looked up, his brown eyes wide with confusion. James was only three at the time. "Mommy?" he uttered, unknowingly whispering his last word._

 _Teddy shook his head. Six-year-old Victoire's eyes filled with tears and she bowed her head. They were all alone. "This isn't fair!" Victoire shouted, standing up as her light blonde hair flew everywhere and her blue eyes turned into daggers aimed at Teddy. "James is only three! His mother shouldn't be dead!" They each had to grow up way before their time._

" _I couldn't stop her from going and it isn't my fault!" Teddy snapped back at the girl._

 _Victoire huffed before she turned on her heels and rushed to her own room. Teddy sighed heavily as he turned to look down at his feet. If only he could perform magic._

~x~

Teddy jumped awake. His body was covered in sweat, his heart racing and his amber eyes wide with fear. He clenched at his chest, willing for his heart to calm down. He could feel a blush overtaking his cheeks as he gasped for breath. He was in shock. His mind was always reminding him that he had failed Ginny. _It isn't your fault_. He told himself but his mind reminded him that he had been the eldest; he was supposed to take care of Ginny, even if she was the adult.

He sighed as he pulled himself from his moth eaten bed and went down the steps. He wasn't sure why they had decided to stay in the old 12 Grimmauld Place, but it provided protection from the cooling weather.

It was almost September and Teddy knew they needed to find another place to sleep. Death Eaters would find them if they stayed somewhere too long.

Under his feet, the floors were chilled and Teddy wished he had more to wear. Victoire was already in the kitchen, trying to make breakfast out of basically nothing. Teddy stopped and watched her as she looked through the cupboards. "We need to run to the supermarket," Victoire stated, already knowing Teddy was there.

Teddy sighed. "You know we haven't got any money."

"Then we have to steal some. James is hungry." Victoire turned to face the older boy. "And I know you're hungry too."

His eyes darkened as they lowered. Of course she knew that he was getting hungry. Rarely did Teddy get to eat, but when he did eat, it was because the full moon was right around the corner. The wolf his father hadn't wanted to pass down had shown its ugly face once Teddy had reached puberty. The full moon Victoire was talking about was in a week.

"We have to focus on staying alive. We have to move first," Teddy said, forcing out any hint of longing. Even though he was only eleven, Teddy had seen so much in his short life and felt like an old man stuck in a child's body.

He could tell in that moment because of his old soul that Victoire didn't like the idea.

"What? And go where exactly, Teddy?" Victoire asked, frowning. "There's nobody left!"

Teddy sighed. "We can't stay here much longer. They'll find us and they'll hurt James."

James was Harry Potter's only child, and the last of the Potters. If the Death Eaters found him and realized just who James was, there would be no going back.

Victoire scowled. "So it gives us an excuse to avoid eating?! He's a growing boy; he needs to be fed!"

"Fine! I'll go find something to eat!" Teddy changed his features to that of an older wizard: long white beard, worn blue eyes and a tattered face. He was medium height and nothing out of the ordinary. He changed into some of the Black's old robes before going to collect his "wand". It was Ginny's old one and worked as a prop for him and if he needed to, something to stun some wizards if he needed to go away.

His Uncle Harry had made sure he knew how to protect himself if push came to shove.

Victoire looked at him with hard blue eyes. "Be safe, Teddy."

"Aren't I always?" Teddy turned and walked to the door, stepping through and finding his way around. Nobody looked at him as he walked down the street. It was one of those things where it helped to be able to change your features. Nobody looked at older people with question.

He found his way around and as he was walking, he heard some whispers. He turned and saw a blonde haired woman with a tall man with black hair. "You really mean its safe?" The woman asked.

"Yes, McGonagall is teaching again. Only small amounts of wizards and witches, but she's teaching." The man whispered back to the woman. Teddy edged closer. "She's creating a safe haven for youngsters but I hear she's recreating Dumbledore's Army renamed Potter's Army or something."

The woman gasped. "If _He_ finds out about this, he'll kill everyone for sure!" She paused. "Where is this safe haven?"

"Hogwarts." The man answered; in a low voice that Teddy could only hear because of his part-wolf body.

The blonde woman looked deep in thought.

Teddy knew that he had to get Victoire and James to this Hogwarts. He turned on his heels, forgetting to get food, and went back to the house.

~x~

"We can't go to Hogwarts!"

"And why bloody not? It'll be a good place for us! It'll protect James and it can teach us how to defend ourselves!"

"Don't swear!"

"We're in a warzone and you're worried about _my swearing_?"

Teddy and Victoire were standing together in the kitchen, arguing about moving to Hogwarts. Teddy paced in front of them. Victoire had her arms crossed and she looked firm in her decision. "We can't go chasing after some rumor. What if it's a lie? We can't risk James like that, he's only a child!" Victoire pointed out.

"We're children too. We should be having fun with our parents around us, protecting us and loving us. We should never be going hungry or wondering when we'll have a bed to sleep in again and yet here we are. We're fighting for our lives and this place, this _Hogwarts_ , could be the very thing that saves us." Teddy tried to stress to her.

She frowned. "What if it's a lie?"

Teddy sighed. "So we have to live on the 'what if's'? So be it. What if it isn't? What if it really is teaching wizards and witches and we get the chance to learn how to defend ourselves?"

"Uncle Harry taught us." Victoire replied.

"Uncle Harry wasn't a teacher, Victoire. But this McGonagall is. I was reading up on her in Uncle Sirius' library. She's good." Teddy said looking at her with pleading eyes. "We have to try at least!"

She looked deep in thought and she frowned. "Fine, but if we get killed, it's your bloody fault."

"Who's swearing now?" Teddy couldn't stop the cheeky grin that formed on his face even when Victoire muttered, "Oh you idiot!" before slapping him.

It was worth it because he had won. They were going to Hogwarts.

~x~

Victoire had gone out to steal some food before they hit the road. She came back with some small things like crackers and three apples. It would be enough until they could stop again and get more.

Teddy was helping James pack while she was out. James didn't seem too eager to go back out but he convinced the six-year-old that it was for the best.

Finally, that evening came and the three children left the Black's. Teddy held onto Ginny's wand like a lifeline, Victoire holding onto James' hand as they went. Not many people were about at this hour so they knew they were somewhat safe. As they moved around a lot, James didn't question them nor did he fight even when his feet got tired.

Teddy would have used the Night Bus but he knew that it would only cause trouble. Three children out so late and without any money or an adult? It was if they were asking to be turned in.

"James looks like he's about to pass out. Maybe we should stop…" Victoire stressed as she picked up the boy. Even though Victoire was only nine, she had become the mother of the group.

Teddy agreed that James did look tired. _He must be because he's letting Victoire hold him_. Teddy thought. "Okay, let's find a place."

They searched before settling on an old barn that looked like it hadn't been used in years. They climbed to the second level and hid among the hay. "This is comfier than those beds." Victoire whispered to Teddy as she tucked in James.

She made James drink some water and eat two crackers before letting him sleep. Teddy pulled out a blanket from the small pink beaded bag that Harry had given to him many years ago.

 _It once belonged to the most brilliant witch of our age. Take care of it Teddy._ Harry's voice echoed in his head.

James snuggled into the worn blanket they had brought.

"I wish Aunt Ginny wasn't dead." Victoire blurted out. Teddy turned to look at her with question in his eyes, as if asking, _why now?_ "We never grew up with our mothers and I hate that. James didn't and he grew to love her and then he lost her. It isn't fair!"

"He has us." Teddy tried to calm her down. Since he didn't know many spells, he wasn't able to silence the barn to protect them. If only Harry had time to teach him more. "And he'll have kids his own age to spend time with too, once we get to Hogwarts."

~x~

It took them a week before they reached Hogsmeade. Teddy, Victoire and James were very tired by this point. They were all hungry. "It shouldn't be too much longer, right?" Teddy said, trying to stay positive.

"Maybe Hogwarts isn't there anymore, Teddy. Have you thought of that?" Victoire asked while shifting the six-year-old James, who was sleeping on her while they walked.

"Don't be so negative." Teddy replied. "I can feel it. Hogwarts is close and then we'll be safe."

Victoire rolled her eyes as she walked along side him. "What if those people were put there by _him_? What if _he's_ trying to draw out every child to make his own army? Or worse, kill everyone!"

"Why are you always so negative?"

"Why aren't you more realistic?"

The two continued to argue. They didn't notice that James had opened his eyes and was listening to them. Nor did they notice that they were walking along a trail towards a dark, ruined castle…

~x~

"Don't you see? This place is ruined! We traveled here for nothing! We need a Time Turner to stop us from listening to you and coming here!"

Victoire was setting James down as she basically yelled at Teddy. He was standing at the front steps, staring up at the caste. It was dark, ruined and basically a dump. Teddy had not imagined something like this when he first heard of Hogwarts.

"This wasn't what it was supposed to be…" Teddy whispered. He had been so sure that Hogwarts had been a safe haven but instead, Hogwarts was nothing more than a pile of rubble; a castle out of its time.


End file.
